


In Strange Tides

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Mermaids, Nudity, Sailors, i might make this chaptered idk, jaehyun is a nervous gay, mer, near murder, only if people like it tho, taeyong is a Confident Gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 19:00:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15322128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Jaehyun, a sailor on his way to Singapore, comes across something interesting in the middle of the night.





	In Strange Tides

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in a long time and is mostly for fun! Please tell me if I made any errors so I can fix them :) thank you, and I hope you enjoy!

The Santa Maria, a trading vessel, cut through the water like nobody’s business, but at night, she rested. Right now, she was resting, anchored just off shore of a small island off the coast of Malaysia.

Every single member of her crew was asleep – Except for Jaehyun.

It was his first major trip on a trading vessel and he was finding it difficult to adjust to such a life. He’d grown up on the sea, sure, but it was his first time so far from his home. The seas were different here.

He’d bought a journal to cope, recording events as they occurred – noting his emotions, his thoughts – all so he could stay sane. He needed this job, and he didn’t want his worries and fears to get in the way of the coin to be made.

Sitting up in his cot, Jaehyun reached into his pillowcase, pulling out an old, worn journal from between the cotton lining and the canvass-contained plumage. He opened it up, using the pencil he put on his last entry to quickly find where he left off. The young man crossed his legs, settling in as well as he could in the swinging hammock, and put the pencil to the page.

 

_October 24 th, 1720._

_We are currently on route to Singapore. Clear skies have blessed us so far, but I overheard the Sailing Master chatting with Old Dolly, saying that he felt uneasy. He says we should turn back._

_I agree with him, but I know I’m in the minority. If a vote was taken, we’d continue on regardless._

_Singapore it is._

           

Hearing a creak in the floorboards, Jaehyun straightened out on his bed and shoved the journal underneath himself, effectively hiding it. When no one passed after a few moments, he sat up. The creaking was continuing, but no man was awake, except for himself.

_A ghost?_

No, it couldn’t be. No one has ever died on the Santa Maria. That is, at least not on her decks.

_Then what could it be?_

Jaehyun pulled himself upright and swung his feet off the hammock, pressing them as softly as he could to the damp wood floor. He laid down, ear to the ground.

Amidst the ships normal croaks and groans, there was a creak. It sounded as if it wasn’t coming from this level, but rather the level below. It almost sounded like tapping, as if someone was knocking on the hull.

Jaehyun’s curiosity was peaked.

Rising from the rough floor and padding up the stairs, the young sailor peeked out at the night sky. A full moon lit the world above, making it easier to see than usual. He pushed the door completely open and stepped out into the open air.

The noise was not as loud outside of the echo-y crew chambers, but it was still audible, if only faintly. It seemed to be coming from the left side of the ship, just below the waterline.

Jaehyun tiptoed over to the edge, peering into the swirling black ocean below. It looked as if one of the smaller fishing nets had come loose in the night, the mass of it under water, probably caught on something, or snagged on a splinter. The young man scoffed, irritated with the incompetent soul who couldn’t properly secure a simple fishing net.

He reached to draw up the line, giving it an experimental tug. The net moved easier than he thought, but still, it was over a hundred pounds of resistance. He heaved, piling the net behind him as he collected more and more. By now the knocking noise has ceased, the sound replaced with a dull drag of the net over the banister of the ship.

Something was caught in the net, he guessed, as something was still weighing it down. He peered over the edge, gauging how much net he had left. The crew boy gasped when he realized what it was.

            A whole naked man, limbs and all, was tangled in the net, and he didn’t seem to be breathing. The crew boy began pulling the net double time. When the man was close enough to grab, Jaehyun did so, hauling him on board.

            Hastily untangling him from the net, he laid him flat on the deck, tipping his head to the side to drain his mouth of water. His skin was cold as ice, but he still had color in his cheeks, and when Jaehyun checked, he still had a pulse. The sailor dove in immediately, attempting to resuscitate him as best he could.

            Tipping the man’s head back to center, he pinched his nose, placing his warm lips over cold ones, and breathed strongly, counting his breaths until he reached four. He felt for any chest movements and checked his pulse again, still feeling the beat of his heart. Jaehyun went back in, breathing into the man on counts of four over and over, checking the pulse with a desperate hand.

            “Come on, dammit!” He hissed, slapping his cheek. “Wake up!”

            Jaehyun leaned down in a last-ditch effort to save the man when he opened his eyes, coughing up water onto the deck.

            “Mother of pearl…” Jaehyun breathed, eyes wide. He held his hands up and away from the choking male, unsure of what to do. Sure, he knew how to preform resuscitation, but not what to do _after_ it.

            He soon snapped out of it, looking around for some fabric to dress the man in. Knowing he had a spare shirt below deck, he opted to strip his off, offering it up to the smaller man. The man took it gratefully, using it to dab the water from his face, then clumping it over his manhood.

            The man was beautiful, Jaehyun noticed. Now that he wasn’t struggling to pump air into his lungs anymore, he finally had a chance to sit back and take in the sight of the ethereal man. He had ruby hair and sand toned skin nearly clear of blemishes, save for some atrophy beside his right eye and a missing cut of hair on his left brow. Everything about him was angular, from his collar bone to his jaw to the bow of his lips. When he sat up, he had Jaehyun transfixed, his brown eyes dark as smoky quartz. His voice was deeper than the sailor expected.

            “Thank you,” he rasped, his words cracking. He took a deep breath, “Where… where am I?”

            “Um,” Jaehyun took a breathing spell, “You’re on the Santa Maria – We’re a, uh, trading vessel. You were caught in one of our nets.”

            “A net?” His eye’s furrowed, before realization set it. He flopped back onto the deck with a resounding _thwack,_ hands dragging down his face. “Fuck.”

            “I heard knocking on the hull about ten minutes ago. You were out cold when I was hoisting you up onto the deck,” Jaehyun said. “I don’t understand how you’re alive.”

            The man looked up at him, mouth open. Jaehyun watched him closely with wonder, black eyes finding his brown ones. The man closed his mouth and sat up.

            “What’s your name?”

            The sailor continued to stare before entertaining the soaked man’s deflecting, “Jung Yoonoh, but I go by Jaehyun.”

            “Jaehyun…” he mused, looking down. The sailor’s face flushed red at hearing his name whispered through the man’s lips, quiet and contemplative. His long fingers tapped on the deck, nails pressing into the wet wood. “And where is the Santa Maria headed?”

            The shirt slipped further down his lap. Jaehyun gulped.

            “Singapore.” Jaehyun turned to the side as he subconsciously tried to hide his blush, standing. He missed the man’s smirk doing so. “Here, let me fetch you some clothes. You feel frozen.”

            The man hummed, pushing himself to his feet. He grabbed Jaehyun’s arm. “You could help me with that.”

            Jaehyun’s eyes went wide, “Excuse me?”

            The man approached him, taking Jaehyun’s shirt between his two hands. It was looped around Jaehyun’s neck before he could resist, pulling the sailor close. He shivered, telling himself it was from the cool sea winds – not the man’s bare skin. The sailor tried to push him away, but the smaller male was far stronger and taller than he looked, only 2 inches shy of Jaehyun’s height.

            “I’ve never been a big fan of clothes,” he whispered, eyes delving into Jaehyun’s, challenging him to push away. As much as Jaehyun’s instincts were telling him to take up that challenge, his body betrayed him, magnetized by the beauty.

            He’s never felt a pull like this before, much less for a man.

            “Who are you?” Jaehyun asked, not breaking eye contact. The ruby-haired male smiled.

            “Someone you shouldn’t have saved.”

            Out of nowhere, the man’s demeanor flipped – his smile vanished, replaced with a cold scowl. The shirt around Jaehyun’s neck twisted, cinching his throat. The sailor’s hands scrambled to pull away the fabric, but all it resulted in was a bloody neck as he couldn’t get his fingers under the makeshift garrote.

            Overcoming his initial shock, Jaehyun raised his hands to the ruby-haired man’s throat, gripping him. He pushed him to the rail, the two of them stumbling back. The man had the breath knocked out of him when he hit the rail, back bent over it.

            Now Jaehyun wasn’t a violent boy, but when push comes to shove, he will defend himself – but defend himself only. His heart was pumping a mile a minute in both fear and anger, pissed that the man he had just saved attempted to kill him – is _attempting_ to kill him.

            His black hair was falling in his eyes, but his large hands were far too occupied choking the ruby vixen into submission to brush the strands away. The man’s eyes fluttered, arms falling limp.

            In his eyes, Jaehyun saw fear. It was the type of fear found only in animals – scared, cornered animals. The ruby haired man let go of the garrote, arms falling to his side as his eyes fluttered, chest shaking with both exertion and adrenaline. The sailor let go of this throat, putting his hands on his shoulder’s instead.

            “What the fuck are you?” Jaehyun hissed, giving the man a harsh push into the banister.

            The man winced, glaring at him. “Hungry, for one. Please pardon my poor table manners.”

            Jaehyun’s lip curled, nearly retching at what his word’s implied.

            _So, I’m dealing with a cannibal who can breathe water as easy as air?_

Jaehyun’s heard tales of creatures like him. Beautiful and enchanting, but hungry for human flesh. _Mer._

            “You’re not human,” Jaehyun stated, hands tightening. The ruby-haired man smiled sarcastically, lips parting to reveal a set of teeth that were far sharper than any other human’s.

            “No shit,” he rasped.

            Jaehyun stared down at him a few moments longer, before stepping away, taking the twisted shirt with him. The merman slumped to the ground, head tipped back as he siphoned air through his bruised throat.

            “Stay here,” Jaehyun commanded. The mermaid said nothing in response.

            Jaehyun quickly made his way to the dry cargo hold, fetching a loaf of bread and a jar of whole preserved fish before returning to the main deck. He half-hoped that the merman had fled, but the other half hoped that he was still there waiting for Jaehyun to return.

            Stepping back onto the deck, Jaehyun saw that the ruby-haired male was still sitting where he left him, face stoic.

            The merman looked shocked when he saw what was in his hands, blinking in confusion as Jaehyun slid the jar of fish across the deck and tossed the loaf of bread into his hands. He sat up, back off the banister. Jaehyun sat down a safe distance away from him, legs crossed.

            “What… is this?” He asked, poking the hard crust of the loaf.

            “Bread,” Jaehyun provided, mimicking breaking off a chunk. The man did so, tearing off a piece for himself. He popped it into his mouth, eyes going wide.

            “It’s so dry…” he mumbled around a mouthful of food, eyes watering. Jaehyun unsuccessfully fought a smirk, the corner of his lip rising at his strangely cute expression.

            _He tried to eat you, Jaehyun. You shouldn’t find him cute._

            But he did. He found him very cute – dangerously so. The sailor had to remind himself that he was feeding the merman to prevent him coming after Jaehyun a second time. It was purely self-preservation.

            As Jaehyun watched him eat, the curiosity gnawing at his brain reared its head, prompting him to ask, “What’s your name?”

            He gulped as the merman bit viciously into a fermented fish. “Hm?” He asked, swallowing.

            “Your name,” Jaehyun repeated, leaning on his palm. “What is it?”

            “Oh,” the man swallowed the last bit of fish. “My name is Taeyong.”

            Jaehyun hummed in response.

            _It suits him._

            Taeyong hummed back and extended a large chunk of bread towards Jaehyun. He smiled, sharp teeth and all, “I won’t choke you this time, I promise.”

            The sailor eyed him suspiciously before scooting forward, plucking the bread from his hands. They sat, eating their bread in peace until Taeyong broke the silence.

            “Why are you helping me?”

            Jaehyun didn’t know how to answer, “Why not?”

            Taeyong stared, “… Because I tried to eat you?”

            “Are you gonna try to eat me again?” The sailor said, peering at the ruby-haired merman over his bread as he took a bite.

            The mer laughed, shaking his head. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

            Jaehyun noticed he wasn’t shaking anymore, Taeyong’s eyes now void of fear – but they were not unguarded. The sailor felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

            “I’m sorry you got caught in our net,” he said, finishing his piece of bread. “I’ll make sure something like this never happens again – at least not on the Santa Maria.”

            Taeyong smiled, setting down the rest of the loaf. He curled up into himself, ankles crossed with his arms hugging his knees to his chest.

            “I would’ve died if it weren’t for you,” He confessed, head down. “So… thank you.”

            “No problem,” Jaehyun laughed, “Plus, how many men can say they’ve met a mermaid and lived to tell the tale? I’m assuming not many.”

            “Not many at all.” Taeyong stood, walking towards the stern of the ship. The sailor followed, watching from a distance as the – still – naked man leaned against the railing. Jaehyun tried very hard not to stare at his ass.

            “Swim safe,” Jaehyun cautioned, “Don’t go getting caught in nets – I won’t be there to fish you out.”

            “Very funny,” Taeyong looked over the railing on the stern, before glancing back at the sailor. “Have fun in Singapore.”

            Jaehyun watched in silence as the man pulled himself onto the banister, gracefully diving into the water. The sailor approached the rail, black eyes peering into the dark waves. He saw nothing more than a quick flash of glimmering red scales.

           And Taeyong was gone.

               

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and, as always, comments are very much appreciated! <3


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